And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. Luke 15:20 (NLT)
Do you find that you sometimes make poor decisions when it comes to your relationships?
This may be because you’ve based those decisions on flawed belief systems, which is why God’s Word is so vital. If you don’t discover the truths in the Word of God as to who you are and what you can believe, confusion will reign supreme.
One very commonly flawed belief system that affects relationships relates directly to what you believe about God.
You see, on the inside you’re craving God’s love. If you’re looking outside of God to meet this need for love, you’re going to be frustrated and confused. You may try to get this need met through your relationships with others, when the only one who can really fill that need for love is God.
It’s possible that you might not be looking to God to meet that love need because you see Him as judgmental and condemning. Maybe the word “father” brings up thoughts of abuse, hurt, criticism or neglect. Part of a father’s job is to show his child what their Father God thinks of them. If you’ve had an abusive, critical, neglectful or absent father, it’s time you developed a new picture of God from His Word.
Start by reading Luke 15:11–32, the story of the prodigal son. Through this story, Jesus gives us an accurate picture of a loving Father God who eagerly waits for the opportunity to welcome you with open arms, no matter how far you might have wandered from Him.